He huarahi hou • November Moon: Keeper of New Paths

The tauihu is the prow of the canoe. It is this form that cuts the water
allowing the canoe to follow. Life is very much like the great ocean of
Kiwa, full of huge swells followed by calm flat periods with the end
never in sight. The Keeper of New Paths understands this but, once the
path is chosen he will navigate the canoe forward in the right direction,
no matter how rough the waters ahead.

Lewis Gardiner is regarded as one of the most innovative and
respected Māori jade artists of his generation. In 1994, he graduated
in Māori Craft and Design at the Waiariki Institute of Technology
in Rotorua. During his final year he was introduced to the valuable
medium of pounamu (jade) and was immediately attracted to its
artistic possibilities. Māori had always valued pounamu for both its
hardness and for its translucent beauty. Lewis was no different — as
he says, “Our tupuna (ancestors) have given us, the Māori people,
the resource and knowledge base to provide a reference for us
and our children for years to come.”